


No Escape From Reality

by Anonymous6285



Series: Bohemian Rhapsody [4]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, Light Angst, sad roger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 06:07:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17238815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous6285/pseuds/Anonymous6285
Summary: Roger thinks he's not good enough for Queen and starts distancing himself from the rest of the band.Requested by Loretta Dematt





	No Escape From Reality

Roger was on his way home from a date. It hadn’t gone too well, which is why he was coming back three hours early. He knew he’d never hear the end of it from John, whose cousin he went out with in the first place.

He tried to get the thought out of his head as he continued down the street. But one conversation grabbed his attention.

“Roger Taylor?” He turned to the girl who’d said his name, but found she wasn’t actually looking at him.

“Yeah,” said one of her friends.

“He’s hot.” Roger blushed a bit and got a bit closer without being noticed and sat down to hear their conversation. His stupid ego couldn’t help it. “It’s a shame really that you can’t ever see his pretty face at their concerts, though.”

“He’s not even that good at drums,” another one pitched in. Roger wanted to get up and run off quick before his feelings got more hurt, but at the same time, he couldn’t leave yet. “And his songs, don’t even get me started.”

“Oh my god. His songs are always the worst of each album.”

“At least he’s pretty. I wonder why they even have him in the band.” That’s when Roger felt tears coming, and he quickly stood and started speed walking off. But he missed the person that came up to them.

“You guys obviously aren’t fans if you don’t like his songs! Don’t talk bad about him!” The girls then all got in an argument with each other, but Roger was long gone.

 

***

 

He got back to the house in tears, his face red from crying. John was sitting on the couch when he bursted through the front door.

“You’re back early,” he remarked before smirking. But when he caught a glimpse of Roger, his smile faded. “Rog, what’s the matter?”

The blonde didn’t stop and ran to his room, slamming and locking the door behind him.

“Didn’t know she was that bad.”

Brian, sitting on his own bed, saw this. He stood and walked over to Roger’s door, trying it. Definitely locked.

“Roger, are you okay?” No response. Only quiet sobs. “Rog?” After a few minutes of standing outside his door and hearing nothing else, Brian went back to his own bed and picked up his acoustic guitar again.

As Roger listened to him play it, even if they were random chords he was coming up with, he was reminded at how great Brian’s songs could be. And how bad his were. He cried harder.

 

***

 

When Freddie got home, he had fast food in his hands. 

“Dinner!” he called up the stairs to Brian and Roger. Brian stood and knocked on the door.

“Rog, time to eat.” No response. “Well, it’ll be downstairs if you’re feeling better.”

Roger waited until Brian had left to go to the bathroom. He left his room door open as he sneaked across the hall.

Brian sat down at the table, but remembered that he’d forgotten to put his guitar up. He didn’t want anyone to sit on it or mess with it.

“I’ll be right back,” he said and stood to go back up the stairs. As he was walking up them, he saw that Roger’s door was open. He crept quietly up, not wanting the door to shut back, but then he saw Roger coming out of the bathroom. Roger made a beeline for his room, and Brian did as well.

He nearly slipped and fell as he tried to beat the blonde, but Roger still beat him. He slammed the door, but Brian held on enough to make sure it didn’t lock. He pulled at it, revealing Roger’s teary face through the crack. It was pulled back closed. And then back open again. This time, Brian took his opportunity and slipped through the opening. Roger slammed the door back shut. But then he and Brian were stuck in the same room.

Brian stood in front of the door so Roger couldn’t leave and then looked him right in the eye.

“Roger,” he started. “What’s wrong?”

Roger took a step back and sniffled, but still wouldn’t say anything.

“Rog, whatever’s going on, you can tell me. You know that, right?” The blonde glared at him. Brian raised his eyebrows. “Roger?”

That’s when he choked a bit.

“You okay?” He wasn’t. He was about to start crying in front of Brian. He couldn’t do that.

But he did.

The tears seemed to all come out at once as he sobbed loudly. Brian, without thinking, ran up to Roger and wrapped his arms around him. Roger didn’t protest. And he didn’t speak, either.

“Oh, Rog, what on Earth happened to you?” Roger buried his head into Brian’s shoulder, and Brian only pulled him closer.

 

***

 

“He didn’t say a thing,” Brian said for the umpteenth time to John and Freddie. “He just started crying.”

“And you’re sure he didn’t say anything about my cousin?”

“No, John! Something else is wrong with him!”

John and Freddie looked at each other, worry in their glances. 

“Well, we can invite to dinner after practise tomorrow,” Freddie suggested. “That always gets me in a better mood.”

Brian nodded. “We should.”

 

***

 

Roger sat on the couch across the room from the drum riser. He didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to play. Especially the song they kept telling him to get up for.

“Roger, you wrote the bloody thing. Why don’t you want to play it?” Roger didn’t have the tolerance to explain to their lead singer that his songs clearly weren’t good enough for the band, so he only ignored him.

“Roger,” started John. “You love Radio Gaga. Why don’t you want to practise it?”

“I just don’t,” he mumbled. “I want to go home.”

“You can’t. We have a show in--”

“John, stop yelling at him.” It was Brian. As sweet as he was being to Roger at this moment, Roger couldn’t stand being in the same room as him. He’d had a very interesting moment with him the previous day, and he knew Brian wouldn’t be forgetting it anytime soon.

That was when Roger stood and ran out of the room.

“Oh, great,” Freddie said. “You guys hurt his feelings.”

“Freddie!” Brian yelled. “Do you even know what’s wrong with him? Because I sure as hell don’t.” Freddie only stared at him. “But something happened to him! He’s never acted this bloody upset over anything! And you’re making jokes!”

Freddie was quiet.

“Do you want me to go get him?” They both glared at John.

“Just let him be,” Freddie said before plopping down on the couch and huffing.

 

***

 

“He said he doesn’t want to go.” John and Freddie gave a sad expression. “I’m gonna stay here. Just in case.”

“Damn. We already had reservations.”

“I’ll go with you, Fred.”

“Alright. Brian, you gonna be alright alone?” Brian nodded.

 

***

 

That night, Brian was sitting on his bed with his guitar again. He wasn’t really playing it much. Instead, he was mostly working on a letter to give Roger explaining that no matter what’s wrong, he’ll help his friend through it. It was because he wanted Roger to hear him, not ignore him. 

When Roger left his room to go to the bathroom, he and Brian made awkward eye contact, but he didn’t try to stop him or anything. Instead he waited for the bathroom door to close and went to Roger’s room, placing the letter on his bed.

Then he returned to his own room.

 

***

 

Later that night, Brian was surprised when a piece of paper was slid under Roger’s locked door. He went to pick it up and threw it in his trash can. If Roger wanted to ignore him, he didn’t care. But when it landed on top of the other rubbish, he saw that there was writing in pen.

That’s strange, he thought. I thought I used a pencil.

When he went over and picked it up, he realised Roger had written him back.

‘Brian,  
I’m sorry I’ve been so weird lately. When I was coming home from the date, I heard some girls talking about me. At first, they were saying I was hot, so of course I kept listening. But I didn’t expect them to start talking about my music. They did. They said it was the worst of every album. And that I wasn’t even good at the drums. And I can’t help but think about how great you guys are and all your great songs. I can’t write great songs like that. You’d be better off without me. Sorry.’

Brian felt his heart fall through his chest. Roger wasn’t a bad drummer, and he wrote great songs. Why would he believe those horrible things about himself?

 

***

 

Brian decided not to tell John and Freddie about what Roger had confessed. He didn’t know if Roger wanted him to, so he kept quiet.

But he did go to Roger, leaving the paper back in his room. Roger let him in. But they didn’t talk. Roger just cried into Brian’s shoulder again. Brian didn’t mind.

Back in Brian’s room, Freddie and John were looking for him to propose a new song idea they were very excited about. They both stopped when he wasn’t in there, though. Freddie saw the letter.

He and John read it, immediately feeling horrible.

 

***

 

Roger left his room to get some food the next day for breakfast. Freddie was in there, as well.

“Hey, Freddie?” Freddie turned.

“Yeah?”

“I’m really sick, and I can’t come in today. Sorry.” He fake coughed. 

“Roger,” Freddie started as the drummer got a banana and started to pour cereal into a bowl. He looked up. “I… I know you’re not sick. I saw this letter in Brian’s room.” Roger hesitated before running off, hoping it wasn’t what he thought it was. “You--” Freddie swallowed. “You’re a great drummer, Rog. I don’t think--”

By now, Roger had left. He was already locked in his bedroom. Freddie sighed.

 

***

 

Dinner came. Brian had convinced Roger to join them, but he wasn’t too happy about it. When they all started eating their meals, Roger didn’t. He was too busy trying not to cry. About what the girls had said. About the fact that he’d humiliated himself in front of Brian twice already. And that probably everyone else in the room knew what was bothering him.

“Roger, can we talk to you?” John asked. Roger stood, but Brian grabbed his wrist.

“Stay,” he said softly. Roger sat back down.

“So,” John started. “Freddie and I found this letter in Brian’s room earlier. And it said that some girls were talking bad about you.” Roger felt his anger level rise.

“It’s not true, darling. None of it. They’re just brats.” Roger smiled a bit, but couldn’t help but be on the brink of tears still. 

“You’re a great drummer, and we love your songs, Rog.”

“Thanks,” he whispered.

“First word I’ve heard out of you in a while,” Freddie joked. Roger looked down at his plate and let a few tears drip down to his nose and to his food. They saw. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to-- sorry.”

“Can I go now?” he asked. Brian nodded.

“Sure.”

Roger left the room without looking up and went back to his room. He didn’t lock it.

 

***

 

That night, Roger laid in his bed on his side, facing away from the door and cried silently. He didn’t hear when Brian opened his door and closed it back.

He didn’t actually notice until Brian crawled into the bed next to him.

“Hey, Rog,” he said. Roger turned.

“What are you doing?”

“I just wanted to make sure that you knew that we love you. Very much. Nobody else will do.”

“Thanks.” Then Roger closed his eyes. “Goodnight, Bri.”

“Night.” But Brian didn’t go back to his bed. He stayed with his friend all night.


End file.
